title: Researching the market: initial steps in designing a marketing program.
abstract: Collecting data about the marketplace is critical for designing a marketing plan. The manager needs to know what types of people are in the market, what pharmacy services they need, who the competitors are and what their strengths and weaknesses are, and where opportunities exist for creating a market niche for the pharmacy. Typically, the pharmacist collects both published and primary data and uses the information gained to position the pharmacy to better serve the needs of selected groups of patients and physicians. The February issue will discuss putting the data to use.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Tootelian
mesh_terms: D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D014481:United States